13 



percentage increase over the normal. In some instances the owners 

 of woodlands are also royalty owners and are selling their timber at 

 a figure far below the cost of felling and delivery at the mines. 

 There are one or two instances of apparent attempts to corner 

 supplies of home timber, but it is probable that any such attempts 

 will fail owing to the larg^e number of merchants concerned in the 

 home trade. 



Enquiries at the pits do not reveal evidence of systematic attempts 

 to obtain extortionate prices. It would appear that for the most 

 part dealers in home and in foreign timbers operate separately 

 and in competition, thus tending to keep prices at a level somewhere 

 near true values. The action of the Board of Trade in sending a 

 committee to Canada to investigate the possibilities of an export 

 trade in pit timber from that country has also probably had a 

 salutary effect. 



7. Is the Amount of Pit-wood in the Country sufficient J or the needs 

 of the Collieries until Normal Conditions obtain 9* 



About 265,000,000 tons of coal are, on the average, raised each 

 year in the United Kingdom, and the annual consumption of pit- 

 wood may be estimated at 4,500,000 tons or 1*7 per cent, of the 

 weight of coal. Of the former amount 41,000,000 tons are raised 

 in Scotland and the Board of Agriculture for Scotland estimate that 

 there are on thirteen Scotch estates alone 300,000,000 lineal feet 

 of pit-wood, which is estimated to be at least one full year's supply 

 for the Scotch collieries. The total area of woodland in Scotland 

 is 875,000 acres, of which the greater part is coniferous forest con- 

 taining timber well suited for mining purposes. Assuming the volume 

 of " extraordinary " fellings to be the same per acre as in England 

 (and it is probably considerably greater) there would be approxi- 

 mately 1,600,000 tons : possibly 2,500,000 tons would be a better 

 estimate. Jf the volume of the " extraordinary " fellings for 

 England and Wales, viz., 3,410,000 tons, be added to this amount, 

 a total of nearly 6,000,000 tons is reached, and it is a fair assumption 

 that the addition of supplies from Ireland would give a total equal 

 to 1-J years' total consumption for the collieries. 



It would appear, therefore, that the position, while it requires 

 rational handling, is by no means disconcerting. In order to draw 

 upon home supplies in such measure as to meet adequately the 

 shortage of foreign material it is essential that rural labour and 

 haulage should be kept steadily at work during the winter season. 

 This is the time when men and horses can best be spared from 

 other estate work required for the production of food. Owners of 

 estates will only fell timber when it appears that a reasonable 

 profit is forthcoming, and such profit has hitherto been frequently 

 absent owing to the cost of railway carriage. 



In consequence of representations to this effect made to the Board 

 of Trade, the railway companies have agreed to offer reduced 

 emergency rates for pit-wood. These rates, it is understood, will 

 apply to pit-wood not exceeding 14 feet in length, consigned direct 

 to a mine at actual machine weight, station to private siding, 4 tons 

 per truck. 



* The question of foreign supplies is dealt with in a report by the Board of 

 Trade. [Cd. 7728.] 



